Screenshot of the Rejection Email (do not include your personal information): N/A, I was not the original nominator therefore I do not have a rejection email. I am submitting this restoration appeal on behalf of our community after discovering that this established Wayspot was removed from Pokémon GO.
Additional Information (if any): The physical Little Free Library remains intact at its original and permanent location. It is active and registered with littlefreelibrary.org under Charter #106087. The location is safe and accessible to the public. It is located between a public sidewalk and a public curb strip with an adjacent curb ramp allowing easy access for pedestrians with wheelchairs or strollers. Delaware County Auditor GIS shows the library is located outside of residential property parcel lines (see attached photo).
I respectfully request for the removal to be reviewed and the Wayspot to be restored.
I’m sorry you have lost a spot. But unfortunately this isn’t considered safe as you need to access it from the street. please see the clarification below.
I am going to follow this appeal. Normally LFL’s in this strip are not removed, but this one is facing the street, so it goes against this clarification.
Thank you for the clarification. I just want to add some context because this location is a little different from the example shown.
The library is right at a crosswalk at a residential intersection, next to the sidewalk and ADA curb ramp. It’s a 15 mph neighborhood street with curbside parking, so people are already regularly accessing this area from the street and sidewalk. The library can also be accessed from the curb/storm runoff area rather than standing in the actual travel lane.
It was installed by local Boy Scouts as a community library and is permanently secured into the ground, so it can’t simply be turned around. I completely understand the safety concern, but I hope the layout, this additional context and the photos can all be considered when the appeal is reviewed.
Yes. They have actually counted a group as large as 19 people for one raid at this location at once. Everyone was able to stand safely on the sidewalks around the intersection. You can reach the Gym in Pokémon GO from all four corners of the intersection and beyond, so nobody needs to stand in the street or on private property to participate. That’s actually one of the reasons this has been such a good gathering spot for players in this community.
With Wayfarer you have to ignore Pokemon Go’s Interaction radius. This wayspot could be used in other Scopely Explore games either now or in the future that may not have the 80m limit.
This is the reason that the wayspot must be accessible on foot at the actual Point of Interest.
Yes, the Wayspot itself is accessible on foot. A pedestrian can walk directly up to the library and use it safely without standing in the roadway or entering private property. It is located immediately beside the pedestrian crossing area at the intersection crossing walk. My point about the Pokémon GO radius was only additional context about how the location is used in that game specifically, not the basis for pedestrian access.
Unfortunately, as this LFL faces directly onto the road, it is intended to be accessed when standing in the road.
It doesn’t matter how quiet and safe a road is - if there is no protected pedestrian space, the POI will fail for safe pedestrian access. The storm runoff is not a protected space intended for pedestrians.
That it was installed facing the road instead of the pavement is really bizarre, from the perspective of a UK resident. Here, LFLs are interacted with by people walking past. I hope that even for the US, this is unusual.
